1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical imaging apparatus such as an X-ray computer tomography apparatus (X-ray CT), magnetic resonance diagnostic apparatus, nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, or ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Background
Imaging an object with a medical imaging apparatus requires preparations. In these preparations, the operator sets signal acquisition conditions including a few tens of parameters. The number of these parameters is steadily increasing with the recent increasing number of functions.
The signal acquisition conditions (scan conditions) of an X-ray CT include parameters such as a scan type (single slice scan/helical scan (volume scan)), slice thickness, slice interval, volume size, gantry tilt angle, tube voltage, tube current, imaging region size, and scan speed.
It is very inefficient and unrealistic to manually set each of several or several tens of parameters as described above each time imaging is performed. For this reason, a preset function is used. This preset function stores signal acquisition parameter sets recommended by the manufacturer and signal acquisition parameter sets used in the past and immediately reproduces any of these parameter sets in response to button operation. That is, a signal is acquired in accordance with the signal acquisition parameter set selected by the operator.
The problem with this preset function is that the number of these preset buttons cannot be simply increased. The principal reason is that although the number of preset buttons can be easily increased to, e.g., 100, this makes the correspondence between these preset buttons and signal acquisition conditions very difficult to understand. As a consequence, the convenience of this function lowers.
Additionally, the number of functions of image generation and image display is increasing with the resent increase in number of signal acquiring functions. This enormously increases the number of image generation parameters and image display parameters which the operator must, or can, designate.
Accordingly, the present situation is that the setting of image generation parameters and image display parameters requires a long time and this cancels out the ease with which signal acquisition parameters are set by the preset function. That is, to reduce the time which the operator takes to make preparations, it is necessary to reduce not only the time to set signal acquisition parameters but also the time to set image generation parameters and image display parameters.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to prepare preset buttons not only for an enormous number of signal acquisition parameters but also for image generation parameters and image display parameters. This is so because no operator can understand the correspondence between these preset buttons and registered parameter sets pertaining to signal acquisition, image generation, and image display.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a medical imaging apparatus such as an X-ray computer tomography apparatus (X-ray CT), magnetic resonance diagnostic apparatus, nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, or ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, by which the operator can easily set, in a readily understandable way, a huge number of parameters necessary for processes from signal acquisition to image generation and image display.
The present invention achieves the following effects. First, a list of a plurality of reference images is displayed. Parameters pertaining to signal acquisition, image generation, and image display are related to each of these reference images. When the operator selects one desired reference image from the list, a signal is acquired and an image is generated and displayed in accordance with parameters related to the selected reference image. The only operation which the operator must perform is to select a reference image visually close to a desired medical image. The apparatus automatically sets detailed signal acquisition parameters, image generation parameters, and image display parameters which the operator need not know.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.